2023 FILM MAUDIT 2.0 FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Have you ever been in the midst of your daily routine (or maybe even taking part in something brand new) and found yourself panicking for some unknown reason? Panic attacks can sneak up on us at the most inconvenient times–and they can often be paralyzing. In this experimental short film, Parked, a man struggles with this reality. As he suffers in silence, isolated from the rest of the world, he must try to find his way back to reality.
Explaining a panic attack is almost as challenging as the attack itself. The world around you feels like it’s melting, consuming and drowning you–and while that happens, it begins to spin, dizzying you and making it nearly impossible to concentrate or move forward with your day. This feels like a pretty succinct and accurate description of a panic attack–but that’s not something that I would have been able to fully explain prior to watching Parked. This short film does a wonderful job of using animation to depict these attacks and express this reality to those that haven’t experienced them; it also does a wonderful job of helping sufferers articulate their experiences.
It feels that the entire purpose of Parked is to create a visual representation of panic attacks and how people deal with them. In that regard it’s incredibly successful. That’s not to say that other aspects fail, but I think the reason that Parked will find success comes from the fact that it’s able to accurately depict these horrifying scenarios.
With that being said, it’s also important to understand that the animation–wild, unwieldy animation–is the heart and soul of Parked. It’s the connection that the film makes with viewers that will guide it and propel it toward success, but that accurate depiction of a melting world cannot exist without effective visuals. The animation is brilliant. Honestly, it’s a bit rough around the edges, and it’s far from what the world has come to expect from mainstream cinema–but that lends itself nicely to the film as a whole and its ability to reach viewers.
Parked finds itself somewhere between completely outlandish and honest. The animation may initially appear to be the former, a hodgepodge of cartoons forced together–but for those of us that understand what those things represent, they are nothing short of honest. I don’t know if Parked has the ability to reach everyone, but the viewers who have experienced what Parked’s protagonist is dealing with will certainly be able to understand and appreciate what is being said and done throughout the course of the film. Parked is both rough around the edges and beautiful–and it’s a testament to the struggles of more than thirty-six-million Americans every year.
Written & Directed by Yoon hei Cho.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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